Academic Catalog

Environmental Sciences (ENVS)

ENVS 2000.  Integrating Humans and the Environment.  (3 Credits)  
Designed for students who have had a foundation in the basic concepts of environmental sciences. Exploration of critical environmental issues from a science-based perspective, including climate change, energy resilience, ecosystem services, and sustainability. The challenges, tradeoffs, and potential solutions to problems related to human modification of the environment, and do so from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Open to Environmental Sciences majors only, sophomores or higher. Recommended preparation: NRE 1000 or similar.  
  
ENVS 3100.  Climate Resilience and Adaptation: Municipal Policy and Planning.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as ENVE 3100.) An interdisciplinary study of climate change focusing on the local, municipal scale: impacts, policy, vulnerability and adaptation with emphasis on tools such as vulnerability assessments that help local communities determine priorities for adaptation efforts.
Open to juniors or higher; instructor consent required. Recommended preparation: ENVE 1000, EVST 1000, or NRE 1000.  
  
ENVS 3110E.  Brownfield Redevelopment.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as ENVE 3110E.) Interdisciplinary study of the process of investigating, cleaning up and putting back into use abandoned sites with suspected contamination, also known as brownfields. Legal, environmental, financial and social aspects are discussed. Service learning component working with communities on local brownfield sites.
Not open for credit to students who have passed ENVE 3995 when offered as Brownfield Redevelopment.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Environmental Literacy  
ENVS 3255.  Environmental Science and Policy in the Tropics.  (4 Credits)  
(Also offered as NRE 3255.) Taught in Costa Rica. Evaluation of the conservation and management of natural resources using tools and perspectives relevant to both the natural and social sciences. Students are introduced to issues and problems in environmental science and conservation biology under three main themes: social and political history of Costa Rica as a case study of the neotropics, tropical ecosystem management, and the global environment. This course is offered in partnership with the Organization for Tropical Studies.
  
ENVS 3991.  Internship.  (1-12 Credits)  
Experience in settings not generally available on campus with professionals in the environmental field. Grade will be based upon the recommendation of the field supervisor. Requires contract agreed to in advance by student, internship field supervisor, and program director, detailing expectations for the credits earned. Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). A total of six credits may be counted toward the major.
May be repeated for a total of 12 credits  
ENVS 3993.  Foreign Study.  (1-15 Credits)  
Special topics taken in a foreign study program. May count toward the major with consent of the advisor.
May be repeated for credit  
ENVS 3999.  Independent Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
May be repeated for credit